A nascent Charlotte board is set to make one of its first major transportation decisions as it considers stops on the long-planned Red Line Commuter Rail.

The Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority’s Board of Trustees will vote on Wednesday on the recommended 10 locations, along with the addition of a stop in Camp North End. But a push from Sugar Creek residents to see a station at the intersection of North Graham and West Craighead Road could see the board discuss that stop’s merit as well.

While the station did not make it out of committee, MPTA Board Chair David Howard said at a recent meeting he believes the discussion will be brought to the full board.

And several members have considered the decision to be the board’s first major test. It’s also led to a discussion on creating a more formal process for similar decisions to be made in the future.

“My view is that this is arguably the first critical decision that we’re making that will have this level of impact on a community,” Mecklenburg County Manager Mike Bryant, who’s also a MPTA board member, said in a committee meeting last month.

The Red Line is a planned 25-mile rail line that will run from uptown to Lake Norman-area towns including Huntersville, Cornelius and Davidson. It’s also one leg of the city’s larger transit system plan that aims to provide access to education, jobs and entertainment.

Sugar Creek residents and advocates have said a West Craighead station could be transformational for the community. The neighborhood sits just a few miles north of uptown, and some residents say they have long felt neglected by the city.

A transportation committee voted 5-4 against recommending the West Craighead stop in July, with board members citing the impact on current land use policies for the industrial corridor. According to a presentation by the Charlotte Area Transit System’s staff, the addition of the stop could also affect scheduling and costs.

First major test after sales tax vote

The newly formed regional authority was established after the passage of last year’s transit sales tax. Leading up to the vote, supporters highlighted how transformative the referendum will be for the region.

But opponents questioned if the plan would go far enough for underinvested communities reliant on transit, and help avoid displacement.

Bryant said the Sugar Creek area was canvassed, and many neighbors echoed these sentiments.

“Some are going to connect this decision to that perspective, rightfully or wrongfully,” Bryant said in a recent meeting. “When you think about some of the comments that’s been made and some of the emails, it’s aligned with that reluctance we heard publicly about whether-or-not the voters should support this transit tax.”

Officials, residents and advocates in favor of a West Craighead Station have pointed to the Lynx Blue Line and the investment brought along its stops as an example of how a transportation project can impact neighborhoods.

There are differences between a light rail like the Blue Line and a commuter rail like the proposed Red Line. A light rail connects neighborhoods within a city, stopping more frequently, while a commuter rail stops miles apart more infrequently and typically connects suburbs to a city’s center.

However, a commuter rail could bring the kind of investment residents are pushing for, even in a more industrialized area, according to Matthew Palm, an assistant UNC-Chapel Hill professor who specializes in transportation planning.

CATS Interim CEO Brent Cagle cautioned that residents shouldn’t see a future decision as final. Changing dynamics could see stations that are not approved today reconsidered in the future, he added.

“It’s not a binary choice: yes today or no today forever,” Cagle said in a committee meeting. “It’s not a binary choice that binds you forever, and you see that in transit.”

Officials have also noted that the community asked for two additional stations, and the board is supportive of at least one — adding a stop in Camp North End.

The MPTA Board of Trustees will vote on the stations to be added to the Red Line at its meeting at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.

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